Page 60 of Reclaimed Dreams

"You'll have to see how he handles this blowup. Watch what he does and what he says. Try and figure out why he's making the choices he's making, and then decide if you can live with that." The words from her therapist flowed straight from her lips. Somehow it was easier to say them than to think about them, but she could see the truth in them. No one was perfect. If she was being honest with herself, this stop today wasn’t a pleasure stroll. She wanted to talk to Dom about his reasons for a few things. She hadn’t seen him yet, but he’d said he’d be here today…

"Thanks, Ma. I love you."

"And I love you, baby. I'm going to stroll over to craft services for a coffee before I hit the road, but I don't want to keep you. Will I see you at dinner Friday?"

"I'm planning on it."

"Good."

Jo walked off toward the food and beverage tables. Dom never could resist a free buffet. But instead of her husband, she found the man tying her daughter in knots.

"I think that's the first time I've seen you with coffee in your cup but not drinking it." She watched as he dragged himself forcefully from his thoughts.

"Hi, Jo."

"You really stepped in it this time, huh?" She smirked and grabbed a bottle of water.

"I see you ran into Frankie."

"Yes, I came by to see my daughter and check out how the build was going. She mentioned that you sabotaged things to make the show more interesting."

“Every challenge only makes the show better, which is good for both of us. But she won’t even let me explain.”

Jo crossed her arms, not willing to let him off the hook so easily. If her baby was questioning, he could stand a little pressure too. “So, she’s pissed because you made her life harder on purpose, and you're upset that she won’t let you mansplain to her why she’s wrong? That’s a real hot take.”

Jake dropped his head and stared at his coffee again. “That’s not what I meant.”

“No, but it’s what you said. Words matter, Jake, and actions matter more. You should have told her."

"This is just how reality TV works. My God, Jo, she's been on MDash for two seasons. How could she not know?"

"Because she isn't some Hollywood actor who grew up playing the game. She put her dreams and her heart in your hands, Jake, and your lies betrayed her on both counts."

"I never lied to her. I never told her I wasn't doing it. She didn't ask."

Jo gave him the patented mom-look that had him dropping his head in shame. "Oh, so we're using four-year-old logic now. A lie by omission hurts just as much."

Jake flushed red and rubbed his neck. Jo was glad to see her words were getting through.

"I never meant to hurt her,” he protested.

"And yet you purposely made her job harder, knowing what she stood to lose if she failed."

"But she hasn't failed. She's brilliant, smart, and funny, and a damn good leader on the site. This show is only going to showcase her strengths."

"Can you guarantee that? I heard about the multiple versions of the pilot. Can you promise me that only the good one will get used?" Jo propped her hands on her hips, and Jake shrugged his shoulders up toward his ears.

“It was never going to air, Jo. My execs were nervous about trusting so much responsibility and money on an untried woman who had shown them nothing but humor and hijinks on the other show. I had to cut together a backup version with Dom’s voiceovers so they would move forward with the show. But I edited that version so closely. No offense to Dom, but it’s nowhere near as good as Frankie’s solo pilot. She shines on-screen, solving problems and getting things done.”

"But at what cost? She has put the rest of her life on hold. She's made sacrifices on the build and called in favors to make it all work. Personally and professionally, she put herself on the line for this. You stole that time and energy from her." Jo felt each of Frankie’s sacrifices to her bones. Jake had to realize that there was a cost to his way of doing things.

"She would have worked this hard on the project anyway."

"Exactly. You didn't have to manipulate her to get her effort."

"I didn't manipulate her. I tweaked the situation."

"Don't you try semantics with me, young man. I know bullshit when I smell it. Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine how it feels to know that a person you've worked with has been scheming behind your back the entire time, knowing it could ruin your career and your financial stability. Now imagine how much worse that is coming from someone you're in a relationship with. You should have told her before you slept with her."

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